Handle fob mattresses and the like



Sept. 1944. M. BECHIK 2,359,193

HANDLE FOR MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed April s, 1943 fiavezaior .dZZarneys I Patented Sept. 26, 1944 UNITED" STATES PATENT OFFICE HANDDEFOR' MATTRESSES AND THE LIKE MichaelBechik, St. Paul, Minn. Application April 3, 1943,- Serial No. 481,671

3 Claims.

My present invention belongs to the mattress artand'relates'to'improvements in handles for lifting, turning, and carrying mattresses and analogous furniture cushions. More specifically stated, the invention relates to the use, on mattresses and'analogous furniture. cushions, of preformed solid type handles and to the anchoring of such handles to the flexible walls of the mattress.

Aspecific object of the present invention is the provision of anchoring means forming a permanent part of the mattress wall and which will permit application of a pre-formed and shaped.

solid handle of the cast or molded variety to the mattress wall from the exterior thereof with its anchoring'ends projecting through the mattress wall, and willthereafter positively lock the anflexible, woven variety, andI, myselhhave invented and commercializedanchoring devices of such highly flexible wovenhandles which could be readily'attached'to the wall of the mattress from the xterior thereof, these being disclosed andclaimed in my prior art Patents 2,248,328 and 2,011,747. However, the anchoring devices of my saidprior patents, whileserving the purposes of permitting original application of and replacement of soft and very flexiblewoven handles to the mattress walls after completionof the mattress and'without' opening up the mattress; are

not applicable for use inconnection with solid andless flexible. handles of the kind-formedby the'casting or molding of "plastics. v

In the preferred embodiment oftheinvention herein illustrated, the handles have in-turned anchoring'ends or shanks andare integrally-formed therewith of a suitable plastic such as"Tenite, which has limited, but, nevertheless, sufficient, flexibility, a high degree of tenacity, and a suflicient degree of ductility for the purpose, and are transparent, and, therefore, blend with and look well with mattress walls of various different color schemes. The anchoring devices employed in the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated are of the spring teeth variety permitting insertion therethrough of a correctly sized anchoring shank in an inward direction only and positively locking the shank against movement in an outward'direction, and these anchoring devices are permanently attached to the'interior of the mattress wall in alignment with cooperating apertures in the mattress wall.

In the acompanying drawing, like characters indicate likeparts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig; 1 is a perspective View of a bed .or'lounge mattress;

Fig. 2 is an enlargedffragmentar sectional view looking downwardly at an edge portion of the mattress above a mattress handle. of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view takenon the line, 3-'-3 of Fig. 1; and) Fig. 4'is a fragmentary detail'view taken on the line 4-4 of "Fig. .3.

The mattress illustratedis of the conventional.

may be assumed to be stitched togetherto hold' the intervening paddingin place.

The handles of the invention are indicated as entireties by. H, and, in accordance with the present illustration, the mattress is shown as providedwith two of these handles II on each end wall and. two on each side wall. The handles illustrated are: preferably formed of aplastic compound known as Tenite, which is readily obtainable in commercial quantities, or may be formed of other plastics or other materials having qualities of flexibility, tenacity, and ductility similar to Tenite. The handles II, as illustrated, are circular'in cross section and are integrally formed with in-turnedends providing anchoring. shanks l2, and may be molded to shape, or cutlfrom straight lengths-"of extruded plastic and theends forming the shanks l2 thereafter formed by're-heating and subsequent bending.

During the process of manufacture of the mattress, suitably spaced handle shank-receiving apertures are cut in the mattress walls, and these apertures are provided with the customar reinforcing grommets l3 having out-turned annular anchoring flanges I 4 and I5, the former overlying the inside of the mattress wall, and the grommets I3 serve, in addition to reinforcing of the aperture walls, as means for permanently anchoring the clamping devices in place, and, to this end, annular lock washers I6 are telescopically applied over the intermediate tubular portions of the grommets grommet flanges I4, and are locked, by the grommets, tight against the inner face of the mattress wall. In practice, the grommets are primarily formed only with their outer flanges I5, and the inner flanges I4 thereof are die-formed after the grommets and lock washers have been assembled on the mattress wall. Lock washers I6 are of considerably greater diameter than the flanges I4 of the grommets, and serve as extensions thereof.

The anchoring devices embodied in this preferred form of the invention are, as previously indicated, of the spring tooth variety and are in the nature of annular plates I'I having radial slots extending outwardly from their axial apertures to provide circumferentially-spaced spring teeth I8 with sharp inner ends that define the walls of the axial apertures thereof. These clamping plates I! are primarily formed flat and with axial apertures of somewhat less diameter than that of the handle-anchoring shanks to be inserted therethrough, so that upon inward application of the handle-anchoring shanks I2 the spring teeth I8 will be deflected inwardly and will thereafter exert yielding. tension on the inserted anchoring shank. Preferably, therefore, the anchoring plates I! will be formed of spring steel or other metal having suflicient spring resilience to maintain tight frictional engagement with the interposed anchoring shank or a subsequently applied anchoring'shank. In practice, the sharp ends of the clamping plate teeth I8 will'engage the plastic shanks I2 with enough pressure to cut or form a permanent impression therein, and, of course, due to their inwardly deflected angles, they will positively lock the shanks against outward movement from a set position, but will, at any time, permit relatively free further movement therethrough in an inward direction, thereby permitting the inward disposition of the broken ends of a handle to the interior of a mattress and the subsequent inward application of the shanks of a new handle.

At their outer peripheries, the clamping plates I I positively interlock with the peripheral portions of the lock washers I6 by rolling circumferentially-spaced edge portions I9 of the lock washers over the inner face edge portions of the clamping plates. In practice, it is desirable to maintain the clamping plates inwardly of the flanges I4 of the grommets, and. for this purpose.

suitable spacing washers 2!] are interposed between the lock washers and clamping plates.

The clamping plates are locked in place by a separate operation immediately following the forming of the inner flanges I4 on the grommets, and, of course, before the mattress is completed, but the handles I I are preferably applied after the mattress is completed, and, in fact, may be applied either by the manufacturer or by the I3 beneath the inner wholesaler or retailer. In fact, the handle looking devices disclosed are so inexpensive that they may be applied to the mattresses by the manufacturer and the mattresses sold to the wholesaler or even to the retailer without handles, with a view of having the wholesaler or retailer carry a stock of these handles and apply them or not at his own discretion, depending upon the price for which he is selling the mattress. This scheme is particularly practical with the present invention when transparent plastics, such as Tenite," are employed, since the same handles may be used for mattresses of various colors and color schemes andwill appear to be of any color underlying the same.

In order to permit insertion of a broken handle through the grommet and axially aligned clamp plate aperture, it is desirable to make the internal diameter of the grommet suflicient to accommodate the curved portion of the handle, connecting the same with their anchoring shanks; and, in practice, the shanks will usually be inserted to the maximum extent permitted by engagement of the inner radius of such connecting portions with the outer ends of the grommets.

What I claim is: Y

1. In a mattress, a spaced pair of grommets extending through a wall of the mattress and having out-turned annular anchoring flanges on opposite sides of the wall, a lock Washer applied over each grommet inside of the mattress wall and locked in place by the inner anchoring flanges thereof, a pair of clamp plates applied over the 'lock washer and anchored thereto at their peripheries, said clamp plates having circumferentiallyextending through a wall of the mattress and having out-turned'annular anchoring flanges on opposite sides of the wall, a lock washer applied over each grommet inside of the mattress wall and locked in place by the inner anchoring flanges thereof, a pair of clamp plates applied over the lock washer and anchoredthereto at their peripheries, said clamp plates having circumferentiallyspaced radially inwardly projecting spring teeth with sharp edges defining axial apertures in alignment with the axial apertures of the coopcrating grommets, and a pre-formed handle lying along the exterior of the mattress wall and having inwardly-directed ends inserted inwardly through the grommets and clamping plate apertures and in frictional locking engagement with MICHAEL BECHIK. 

